That was a test
by Swordmouse
Summary: Star simply didn't understand. This loyalty in the other couldn't be real. Surely if tested, Steve would be unable to prove himself. Oneshot. Implied, possibly one-sided SteveScream


**What can I say? A freind got me to love Transformers and and I wound up looking into SteveScream. Love it. For those of you who follow my other fics/follow me for ZADR, don't worry, I AM trying to work on 'My Tallest', and I also have a one-shot I'm working on.**

**For everyone else, this is what I would consider fluff, but it's SteveScream fluff, which means a lot of stupid loyalty, misunderstandings, and quiet one-sided admiration. For those who don't know, Steve is a popular fan-base-made character. A vehicon drone, who somehow comes to be smitten over Starscream. As I've said on my profile, I DO NOT GIVE A CRAP if you don't like a pairing. However, if you can offer politely worded constructive criticism for the writing in general, I will love you and eat it up! Please read and review!**

**ALERTS!: Contains very mild/indicated SteveScream and mild swearing.**

**Read and review please! Enjoy!**

**~•~**

"So, _Steve_,"

The Drone looked up with a surprised smile hidden under his faceplate. Starscream used his 'name', rather then just his code ST-3V3, or simply calling him 'drone'. That meant something right? Maybe. It was nice, either way.

The red visor gleamed in earth's sunlight and Starscream preeningly shifted from foot to foot at having his loyal servant's full attention- though that had come to be nothing unusual.

The Decepticon second in command stood tall and proud, perched on the edge of a jutting rock. Steve was off to Star's side and a bit behind him, on a larger, more secure piece of a cliff in what was now apparently, according to the silvery seeker, 'their' canyon.

Steve had asked what was so special about it compared to all the other canyons in this snowy, mountainous region of Canada, (or was this Russia? He wasn't very good at human geography...) But Starscream had gone off on one of his moods where his voice got pitchy and he gestured around with wide, pounding gestures, before slapping Steve; something about 'how dare you question your superior!'

But Steve still didn't know what was so special about this canyon. Star never answered his question.

Steve wasn't sure, but he had a feeling they were on the run or in hiding or something again. Like they were almost all the time lately.

Starscream must have gotten Megatron pissed again. He did that a lot. Steve was impressed at how good Star was at it too! No one else could infuriate the con leader like Starscream. Hell, Star could make anyone angry- except him. He wondered if the flyer got frustrated with Steve's patience and unending subservience, and the fact that Star simply couldn't get him mad, or get him to leave his job as the seeker's body guard and go back to do random jobs for Megatron.

But yes, apparently they were playing hobos again. Steve just wished they could be forest hobos instead of arctic hobos. He was cold.

And Star looked colder. He had less plating, and less weight in general, then the drone did. Steve was built for battle, Star was built for speed, and flying... And perhaps looks... But the fact was, Star certainly had no thick fur coat.

"Y-Yes commander?"

Even with his greater insulation, Steve was shivering. He knew Star had to be near frozen, but of course the other con would never show a hint of such weakness- unless he felt like whining to a superior to get his way. Cons were always very survival of the fittest. Weakness was punished.

Star unfolded his hands from behind his back, and went to move his arms up over his chest, hug himself, rub his upper servos to generate some heat, then shook his head in a moment of frustration, putting his hands on his hips instead.

Megatron didn't get cold.

So Starscream wouldn't show he was cold.

Despite being, what, one forth of Megatron's size and trimly built? Yeah. No big deal.

"So... you've pledged your allegiance to me as my bodyguard, and personal servant? I am under the understanding that that is your assigned job, drone?"

Leaning to one side, he gestured uncaringly with one clawed hand as he spoke, looking back at Steve with bored red optics.

"Yes c-commander."

"Hmm, and I believe I heard... Something earlier, something along the lines of your insisting on your usefulness when you were _begging_ to come with me as I fled the Nemesis, insisting you would be helpful to me and not slow me down- despite being unable to _fly_." Star looked into space for a moment with an expression of disgust, that said clearly; 'what was I thinking? Agreeing to this...'

"Yes sir."

Being a drone, and given what was expected of drones, Steve could probably get through a conversation by simply repeating an automatic 'yes sir', at every appropriate pause. He didn't really even need to listen to a word said to him, but unlike a few of his kind that he knew, he did choose to listen, for whatever reason. It certainly didn't keep him from being slapped around over every little mistake, but he listened anyway, and he TRIED to do as he was told.

"But anyway, you have acknowledged and confirmed that as _my_ personal drone, you follow me even over Megatron, and you realize that in coming with me you're now by my side, in what many might call, treason?"

Star made more uncaring gestures, hopping along some unmarked path along big enough rock perches, with the much less nimble vehicon making clumsy, loud, scrambling attempts to follow, jumping and grabbing and climbing along the slippery, iced cliff face.

"Y-Yes sir."

Star stopped, looking strait back at him with suddenly not one care for anything else. His wings twitched and he narrowed one eye while the other con stumbled, nearly tripping over a rock before he caught himself on the rock wall next to him.

"Why?"

...

Why?

... Why?

Well, what do you know! Something Steve couldn't simply respond to with 'yes sir!'

He had to pause.

What could he possibly say to respond to that?

...

He didn't exactly know.

He... He really wasn't sure why he'd begged to be brought along, why he'd pledged his allegiance so readily... Why this was such a dream come true for him.

No. Scratch that- he did know. He just couldn't say how his spark had leapt at being assigned to Star as his personal bodyguard, and he couldn't say why it had leapt like that, certainly not out loud, to the object of his affection, so far above his own social class. He couldn't say how something about the seeker... Made him the only thing that mattered, that distracted him from the monotony of slave-ish work the drones were subject to.

Drones were low. Expendable. Steve didn't dare even reach out, even acknowledge, what his real feelings were. He was already close. He was with Starscream. Star knew he existed, and was letting him tag along for as many chapters of his life as the drone could manage to stay alive for. It was enough. It... Made him happy. It was nice to have something like this, when he knew he could have his spark snuffed out any minute as happened to hundreds of vehicons in every battle.

Why was he desperate to be with the seeker?

He knew why.

But he had no answer he could safely give to Starscream.

And after that moment of thought, Star looked like he was growing suspicious.

"I should hope for your sake you aren't some sort of spy."

Steve felt the sharp edge of panic at his throat, and his hidden optics widened.

Star's voice held that edge of a growl, or maybe he was just trying to sound like he smoked and was ready to cough up his lungs; the second in command copied Megatron in nearly everything. Everything except staying to fight when it was easier and in his better interest to go, 'screw you guys, I'm leaving' and zoom off into the sunset.

"No, I'm, I'm not any sort of spy. And i-if I may say so commander, wouldn't Megatron tell Soundwave to do something if he wanted you spied on?"

Star couldn't argue with that. One look at the bumbling drone, and no one could ever choose him as a spy when they had Soundwave- who had Lazorbeak. Steve was about as good at stealth as Smokescreen or Bulkhead, which was saying something. Then again though, Megatron was clever. Starscream's paranoia said using someone who would assumably make the worst spy ever, as a spy, could make him the best one ever, by throwing off suspicion.

However, Steve talked too much, especially for a drone- it was unusual. If the vehicon had anything to hide he would have slipped by now, surely.

"Well... Because... It is my job, to serve you, commander."

There. That was an answer wasn't it? Steve shifted, fidgety.

To serve him- even over Megatron? Star would think Shockwave, who had purportedly invented the drones, was playing some trick, but that torturous inventor had no sense of humor. ... did he? Maybe it was a cruel sort of joke, giving the drone a glitch in the head so he obeyed Starscream over Megatron and got himself killed.

And if the drone got himself killed, under Star's 'rule' and control... The seekers eyes widened. Even if Steve was but an expendable drone, he was also the first mech Star had ever had that was truly 'on his side' and completely under his control. If he allowed Steve to get killed, it would make him look like a bad leader! It was like telling anyone who might join him in the future, and Star himself, that he couldn't even keep one drone alive, so what made him think he could lead the deceptions?

Was that what this was all about? Someone's elaborate scheme? Well! He'd prove them wrong!

Maybe this was some sort of message to him. Maybe it was just an accident in the programming. Maybe it was nothing at all and Steve wasn't really loyal like he claimed and had some other motive for following Star into frigid temperatures and allowing the seeker to slap him around, yell at him, order him around on a whim... Yeah, not very likely. Much more probable that he had a glitch in his processor. How could any normal mech put up with what Star had put Steve through?

But if he was loyal, Star couldn't let him perish. Drone or not, loyalty was valuable, and impossible for him to find. And Star couldn't let himself look like a bad leader who marched his followers to their deaths!

So... He needed to test Steve's loyalty.

What was that human phrase the con had used as he'd insisted on coming along with Star? 'your wish is my command', or was it something more awkward like, 'anything for you'. Star looked Steve over. Definitely the more awkward one. Steve simply had an aura of awkwardness.

The vehicon fidgeted from foot to foot. Star had been standing there for a while, staring at him. It made his face warm up slightly. He wondered what the seeker was thinking.

Finally Starscream spoke up.

"Well then, if you really aren't a spy, yet you want to follow me so badly, perhaps it's time you proved your loyalty to me." Star slowly half-purred.

Steve had complained once already about their surroundings and the earth's wretched 'snow'. Star himself hated it, so within seconds of looking around he grinned deviously with a sudden plan. Scooping up an icy handful of the wet, white, powdery stuff, Star jumped easily over to the larger cliff Steve had found to stand on without having to cling to the steep rock wall next to him.

"Hold out your hand."

Even with the visored face-plate covering his expression, Star could see the other's confusion.

But he obeyed. And Star plopped the little pile of ice crystals onto the vehicon's hand.

"You may follow me, wherever I go, as my loyal servant and the first member of my army, _if_ you pass the test."

Star pointed one long claw at the frozen pile.

"Hold that until all of it melts."

He could practically feel the wave of distress flow out from the other con.

'There' He thought. 'That'll get rid of him, and he'll leave, and I'll go on my way, alone, with no glitch-headed drone to slow me down.'

He smiled triumphantly. He was so sure he was right on this. No one stayed with him like this. There was no way the drone could keep putting up with him like he had been forever. Such a torturous demand as what he'd just given would surely be the end of it.

Star waited, expectantly, for Steve to give up, maybe even fling the snow at him. While he would throw a fit over such an action, it would honestly be better accepted then this mindless loyalty that he didn't know how to respond to.

He waited. His triumphant grin began to go away.

Steve stood there, shivering, a huge pile of snow in his hand, obediently waiting for it to melt.

He intended to carry through with it.

Star's eyes began to widen. Slowly, it dawned on him, that Steve really did intend to do as he was told.

Was he insane? It would seem in under his plating and freeze and burst his wires!

Why? Why would anyone do this, just to be accepted by him? Scrap, this was worse then him trying to make himself look reputable and impressive to Megatron! Now he was experiencing a sort of odd guilt trip...

After a minute, Star began to feel frustrated with confusion. The snow was still there.

Steve looked up at him, and in one of his moments of talkativeness, asked;

"D-Do you think it can even m-melt at these temper-temperatures?"

He was shivering much worse by now.

Star had a sadistic temptation to simply say 'no.'

"If it can it's going to take a long time. I hope you're comfortable cause we'll be here a while. I need to make sure you don't get any clever ideas and try to cheat."

Star answered flatly, giving a huff and watching the other's face. Surely there was something he could do to throw that final blow. Something that the other con would take as 'the final straw'.

He wanted Steve to stomp off and abandon him. Everyone else did. He hated it but he was at least used to it by now. This was too confusing to him. Too new. Too... Frightening, even.

He didn't really want Steve to leave. But he was sure Steve would go eventually. Just say, 'to hell with this!' and leave him. That was just what ALWAYS HAPPENED.

He wanted to prove the other's promised loyalty wrong. He wanted to make Steve look like a lier. No one ever gave him loyalty like what the drone had promised. Steve couldn't have meant what he said. He was a lier! They all lied! No one ever truly accepted him, let alone respected him. If they did it was only ever because Megatron backed him up, or maybe they wanted something.

For everything he tried, all his desperate exhausting himself, how mind-breakingly hard he tried, Star was no Megatron. No one feared him and respected him like they would with Megatron. He was just the second in command.

So where did this mindlessly loyal drone come from all the sudden, who respected him over Megatron?

He was still there. Still waiting. Doing as Star had ordered so as to prove himself.

... Didn't that HURT? Didn't he have wires in that hand?! COULDN'T HE FEEL THAT!?

... This simply couldn't be! Steve lied! They all lied to him and he was going to throw this back in the other's face now, catch him and make him look and feel horrible for it. He'd make the lowly drone feel like Star himself did at every betrayal, every abandonment. Because that was all this drone would do to him, surely; betray and abandon him...

But Steve stood there holding the snow.

Star glared at him furiously, Steve said nothing but wondered unhappily what on earth he'd done to make the flyer so angry at him.

Minutes went by. Steve was still there, waiting for the snow to melt. He was trembling. The drone was much too cold. Still he obeyed.

Star's anger had died to a simple frustrated confusion. He didn't understand. He couldn't figure out what the other con was doing or why. He just didn't understand.

Eventually, Steve's arm seemed to be giving out, and his hand started twitching as the icy liquid seeped into his circuitry.

In an impossible moment, Star glanced up, eyes meeting the visor of the other's face mask. Somehow, it not only registered in his mind, but hit him in a bad way; that Steve was in pain.

That had been his intension. A trivial, but very long drawn out pain, to make it agonizing. But suddenly, Star simply didn't want to carry through any more of this. He lost all desire in this, it was replaced with a sick feeling.

The vehicon wasn't leaving.

Starscream was far too confused over this. And he was freezing. And it looked like it might start hailing soon. Dark clouds were gathering overhead. They needed to find warm shelter.

He didn't care to stand there and watch his expectations fail him any longer.

In frustration, Star slapped the handful of icy powder out of Steve's hand.

The drone looked up at him sharply, with simple confusion as Star huffed. If the seeker were a bird, he'd be fluffing out his feathers indignantly.

"That's... enough for now. I have no patience to see this through any further, and you're of more use to me without losing a servo from something like this... You have proven yourself. For now.

Steve beamed, and followed as Star turned and started moving again, shoulders hunched just slightly, wings twitching, refusing to look back at Steve. The second in command was quiet for a long time, confused.

And Steve just followed, loyally, with a strange cheerfulness at following the seeker.

Starscream didn't understand.


End file.
